Package loading of poles



Aug. 966 w. c. ANDERSON PACKAGE LOADING OF POLES Filed Feb. 5, 1964 I Fig.2

ma mm 2 m C W 9224421, WA! M ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,263,830 PACKAGE LOADING 0F POLES W. Carl Anderson, Hartville, Ohio, assignor to The Union Metal Manufacturing Company, Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Feb. 5, 1964, Ser. No. 342,702 4 Claims. (Cl. 214-10.5)

The invention relates to poles, tubes, bars, rods and other similar elongated metal products such as masts, columns, angles, box-beams and other structural members, which may be cylindrical or tapered, and solid or tubular, with a round or fluted or special shape in cross section; and more particularly the invention relates to the packaging or loading of such poles for shipment to prevent damage during shipment.

Transportation of such pole products in railroad cars, and especially the shipment of tapered steel poles, has involved many problems in the past. Regardless of various blocking, tying, staking, wedging and other expedients used in attempts to hold groups of tapered steel poles in piled packaged loads during shipment in railroad cars, damage to the poles or to the surfaces thereof inevitably has occurred. Further, the inability to hold a group of such poles in a railroad car as a relatively fixed or stable packaged load or pile, not only has resulted in damage directly to the pole products, but also has resulted in damage to railroad cars in which the pole products have been shipped.

Heretofore, a common procedure adopted by shippers for packing or packaging tapered tubular steel poles, such as are used as telephone poles, or for supporting or suspending traflic lights, lighting fixtures or signs, in a railroad car is to place a series of wooden blocks crosswise and spaced apart in the car and to lay a row of poles on the blocks. Then a second series of wooden blocks is laid on the first row of poles. Then a second row of poles is placed on the second series of blocks. This procedure is repeated until a railroad car is filled to capacity. The pile of poles separated between rows by wooden blocks is tied by steel strapping tensioned around the pile at intervals. Usually wooden stakes are located at intervals between the sides of the ear and the pile of poles. Frequently wooden slat bulkheads have been blocked in place at each end of the pile of poles in the car.

These and other packaging measures have been taken with the intent of trying to hold the poles in the packaged location in the railroad car until arrival at destination.

Unfortunately, the shock loading and forces to which the pole products are subjected during railroad car shipment, when packaged in the manner described or in accordance with other prior procedures, have prevented achievement of the desired objective of holding the poles stably in packaged location. The shock loading or forces act in three directions during railroad car shipment, namely, up and down, sideways and lengthwise of the car.

These shock forces occurring repeatedly or in a constantly recurring manner during movement and starting and stopping of railroad trains, and acting in the various directions on the packaged pile of pole products eventually loosen the packaged pile. Once that loosening has commenced, it is cumulative, particularly where tapered poles are involved. The lengthwise shock forces frequently eject tapered holes partially or completely out of a pile or bundle. Such poles have been known to be ejected on sudden train stoppage from one ear to the next car in a freight train.

Wooden blocks used as cleats or as row or layer separating members or stakes, etc., unfortunately are subject to permanent deformation or indentation as a result of the constant pounding by metal poles against the wood surfaces from the shock forces to which the poles are subjected in all three directions as described. Thus, even though the pile is initially tied by steel strapping or band ing, tensioned around the pile, and pressing the poles against intervening wooden blocks, nevertheless permanent deformation of the wood resulting from the constant shock force pounding finally results in loosening the poles in the pile.

The relative movement between the poles in a pile when the package has loosened can cause considerable damage to the pole surfaces. The poles may have various kinds or types of paint or metal or other protective coatings thereon. Damage to such coated surfaces from scratching, marring and denting of the pole surfaces, may require extensive repairs to be made at the destination or at the ultimate location of pole installation. Further, scratching of protective coatings produces areas that rust and continue to rust until the damage is corrected.

I have discovered a packaging procedure and a packaged structure which solve the problems that have existed, and eliminate the damage that has inevitably occurred in the past in the shipment of pole products. In accordance with the concept, a series of rubber strips are laid or laced preferably back and forth at spaced intervals along the length of a pile of poles between adjacent rows or layers so that each row of poles is spaced from the next row by the rubber stripping. The pile of rubber interlaced poles is then banded by a series of engirdling tensioned strapping bands.

Poles shipped in railroad cars, and packaged in accordance with the new procedure, have been held stable in the packaged state throughout shipment, without loosen ing, of the package and without damage to the poles or railroad cars in which the poles have been shipped.

Accordingly, it is general object of the present invention to provide a new packaging procedure and packaged structure for shipment of metal poles and the like, by which the poles are held in railroad cars during shipment in a pile or bundle which maintains stability throughout shipment and does not loosen.

Also, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new packaging procedure and packaged structure for railroad shipment of metal poles and the like, by which damaging relative movement between poles in a packaged pile or ejection of poles from a packaged pile during shipment are completely eliminated.

Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new packaging procedure and packaged structure for shipment or transportation of metal poles and the like, which eliminates during shipment scratching, marring or denting of the surfaces of the poles or of protective coatings on the pole surfaces, and thus eliminates costly repairs heretofore required to correct for damages occurring during shipment. I Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new packaging procedure and packaged structure for the railroad shipment of metal poles and the like which eliminates the difficulties and damage heretofore encountered, and which in actual use is less costly than prior packaging procedures heretofore used which have involved the difficulties and produced damage such as described.

Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new packaging procedure and packaged structure for the transportation or shipment of metal poles and the like which eliminate difficulties heretofore encountered in the art, achieve the stated objects in a simple, effective and inexpensive manner, and solve problems and satisfy needs that have existed for a great many years in the art.

These and other objects and advantages, apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description and claims, may be obtained, the stated results achieved, and

the described difiiculties overcome, by the methods, steps, procedures, combinations, arrangements and packaged structures which comprise the present invention, the nature of which is set forth in the following general statements, preferred embodiments of whichillustrative of the best modes in which applicant has contemplated ap plying the principles-are set forth in the following description and shown in the drawing, and which are particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the following claims forming part hereof.

The nature of the improved packaging procedure of the present invention may be stated in general terms as including the steps of placing a series of wooden blocks in spaced relation and extending crosswise on the floor of a railroad car, laying a row of poles lengthwise of the railroad car on said series of blocks, laying successive rows of poles on the first row of poles, interposing a series of rubber strips extending crosswise of the poles between adjacent rows of poles to form a pile, and binding the pile with strapping means under tension around the poles in the pile at spaced intervals along the length of the pile to compress the rubber strip means extending between poles in adjacent rows in the pile and to form a stable packaged pile.

The nature of the improved stable packaged pole pile structure may be stated in general terms as including a series of rows of poles in a pile for shipment, a series of rubber strip means extending crosswise of the pile at spaced intervals along the length of the pile and between adjacent rows of poles in the pile so that each row of poles is spaced from the next. row of poles by rubber strip means, and a series of strapping bands engirdling the pile crosswise of the pile at spaced intervals under tension acting to hold the rubber strip means under compression between and to maintain the rubber strip means in frictional engagement with adjacent poles in adjacent rows of poles in the pile.

By way of example, embodiments of the improved packaging procedure and packaged structure are shown in the accompanying drawing forming part hereof in which:

FIGURE 1 is a diagrammatic longitudinal sectional view of a railroad freight car having a pile of tapered steel poles packaged and held in stable condition in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional end view on an enlarged scale of the packaged pile of poles looking from the right of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 showing a slightly modified arrangement; and

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view on an enlarged scale of a piece of rubber strip used in forming the packaged pile of poles illustrated in FIGS. 1 thru 3.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the various figures of the drawing.

A typical railroad car is illustrated generally at 1 in which elongated metal products, such as tapered tubular" steel poles, are shipped from the place of manufacture to the regions where the poles are to be installed or erected. In accordance with the invention, a series of wooden blocks 2 preferably first are laid at spaced intervals along the floor 3 of car 1 extending crosswise of the car as shown.

A first row or layer of poles 4-is laid on the wooden blocks 2 extending lengthwise of car 1. Rubber strips generally indicated at 5 are laid on the row of poles 4 extending crosswise of the poles and car at spaced intervals along the length of the poles 4. Another row of poles 6 is then laid on top of the first row of poles 4 with the rubber strips 5 extending between and in contact with the poles of the adjacent rows of poles 4 and 6. Thus, the strips 5 hold the rows of poles 4 and 6 spaced apart but in frictional contact with the rubber. The rubber strips 5 preferably are laced or Wound around one edge of the row of poles 6 as indicated at 7 in FIG. 2, and then extend back across the top surfaces of the row of poles 6, as illustrated. Successive rows of poles such as i indicated at 3, 9, and 10 are placed in the car to form the pile, as illustrated, until the car capacity has been reached. The rubber strips 5 are wound or interlaced back and forth between the poles in the adjacent rows of successive rows as indicated at 11 and 12 in FIG. 2.

Vertical wooden stakes 13 preferably are placed or blocked between the sides 14 of car 1 and the pile of poles generally to prevent the poles in the pile from contacting or rubbing the car side walls.

After the car has been loaded to its capacity with a series of rows of poles and with :a series of rubber strips located at spaced intervals between adjacent rows of poles, steel strapping or banding 15 is tensioned at spaced intervals to engirdle the rows of poles in the pile and to form a stable packaged pile generally indicated/at 16.

The steel strapping bands 15 under tension tend to hold the rubber strip material 5 under some compression where it is pinched between adjacent poles. Rubber compression, however, exists before tensioning of the bands 15, from the weight of the poles in the pile upon the rubber strips below the several rows of poles 10, 9, 8 and 6 in the pile 16.

In the modified arrangement illustrated in FIG. 3, a rubber strip 17 is provided at the location of each crosswise extending wooden block 2a. The leading ends of rubber strips 17 are laid on the tops of wooden blocks 211, as indicated at 18, before the first row of polles 19 is placed in the car 1.

Although it is preferable for a number of reasons to interlace the rubber strips 5 or 17 back and forthbetween successive rows of poles in the stacked packaged pile 16, the rubber strips need not extend around the edges of rows. Separate strips performing the spacing and frictional engagement functions may be used extending merely crosswise of the car at spaced intervals along the length of the pile 16 between adjacent rows of stacked poles.

The continuous interlaced rubber strip arrangement, however, is preferable since the rubber packaging strips can be used over and over for successive journeys of a railroad car. Obviously, a smaller number of pieces of rubber strip material is involved to be kept track of and for return shipment, where reuse of the rubber strips is intended or desired.

Furthermore, the lacing or wrapping of continuous rubber strips back and forth between successive rows of poles in the pile 16, as illustrated, assists in avoiding a tendency of lateral spreading or separation of the poles in any one row, and thus assists rather than detracts from the tensional eifect of the steel strapping band 15 around the pile 16.

Furthermore, the cushioning effect of the rubber strip material 5 between adjacent rows of poles in the pile 16 results in a better distribution of bending tension imparted by bands 15 throughout the pile and throughout the extent of the engirdling bands 15 to the poles and rubber strip material compressed between adjacent rows of poles.

The use of the invention is not limited to a specific type or kind of rubber for the rubber strips 5. It has been found that A" thick, 1 /2" wide rubber strip in lengths of 20 feet or more and formed of high strength (70 durometer) shock absorbent type GR-S rubber serves very satisfactorily. This shock absorbent type GR-S rubber is a synthetic rubber composition with anti bounce characteristics. Other shock absorbent rubber compositions will serve to provide the spacing and frictional engagement functions.

The rubber strip material between the poles in adjacent rows has and maintains a frictional grip with the contacted pole surfaces. The rubber, however, does permit limited relative movement between adjacent poles, originating from the shock loading acting in any of the three directions noted, to which the poles are subjected from stopping, starting and rail movement of the railroad car 1.

The rubber, however, has the ability to recover its initial position after the shock loading force has been removed. Thus, although the poles may move slightly with respect to one another in response to shock loading or forces, the rubber compressed between poles and in frictional contact with poles in the pile 16, returns the poles to the initial position since there is no loss of contact between the rubber and rows of poles. The rubber is pinched between adjacent poles in the pile 16 not only by the Weight of the poles but by the tension of the bands 15 which augments the frictional grip between the rubber and the pole surfaces in contact with the rubber.

It has been discovered that poles loaded, stacked and packaged in railroad cars in accordance with the invention are maintained in a stable pile in a railroad car throughout thousands of miles of rail shipment; and that the shock forces to which the pile of poles may be subjected incident to humping in freight classification yards, and incident to irregularities in road beds and to curves in the tracks, do not loosen the pile. Thus, damage to poles in the pile and to freight cars from pole products ejected from a pile is eliminated.

Furthermore, it has been discovered that the rubber strips are not subjected to any apparent damage or wear from use, and that the strip material can be used over and over repeatedly for the formation of packaged piles of poles.

Although tapered tubular steel poles have been illustrated and described in detail in connection with the invention, primarily because tapered poles of this general type, due to their taper, have caused major problems in the past of loosening a packaged pile intended to be maintained in stable condition, the use of the invention is not limited to tapered tubular poles but is effective in the packaging and shipment of other elongated heavy metal products, such as tubes, bars, rods, masts, columns, angles, box-beams and other structural members. Such products similarly may be either cylindrical or tapered and solid or hollow and may have a round or rectangular or fluted or other shape in cross section. Thus, the use of the term pole herein is intended to include such other similar elongated heavy metal products.

Fundamental aspects of the invention involve radical departures from past thinking and procedures in the packing and packaging of heavy elongated metal products in railroad cars. For example, the old wood-blocking packaging procedures involve an attempt to tie the products with intervening wood blocks in a pile and to hold the pile rigid and the products immovable with respect to one another. This thinking also apparently did not recognize that Wood blocking eventually becomes permanently deformed at the zone of con-tact with the products bound together, resulting in loosening of the package.

The rubber strip packaging procedure using rubber as the pole product separating medium, takes advantage of the characteristic that rubber, unlike wood, does not become permanently deformed from the pressure of the contacting pole products bound together and separated by the rubber strips in the pile. The new concept further recognizes that instead of attempting to hold the bound pile rigid and immovable, the individual products in the pile are permitted to move slightly relative to one another in response to shock loading, and the frictional grip of the contacting rubber separators is utilized to return the products to initial locations after removal of the shock loading forces.

Furthermore, ultimate package stability is achieved with relatively little rubber contact with the surfaces of the poles piles in rows in the packaged stack. That is to say, it has been discovered that three rubber strips each 1 /2" wide serve adequately for the purposes of the invention between adjacent layers of poles piled in a railroad car where the poles may be 40 or more feet long and may vary from say 6 to 18" in diameter and may be formed from one or more plies of 11, 7 or 3 gauge sheet steel.

Under such conditions, the total area of rubber strip 6 contact with any one pole in relation to the outer pole surface area is very small. Nevertheless, the area of rubber-pole-surface contact is sutficient to provide and maintain the frictional resistance necessary to absorb the effects of shock loading and to return the poles in the pile to initial location after removal of the shock forces.

In accordance with the invention, the shock absorbing type of rubber used absorbs bumps, sidesway and train stoppage and starting reactions, permitting slight movementor shifting of the poles in the pile, which is absorbed by the rubber which springs back to initial position carrying the poles with the rubber because of the maintained frictional engagement of the rubber with the surfaces of the poles.

Thus, the improved packaging procedure and packaged structure of the present invention holds poles in railroad cars during shipment in piles or bundles which maintain stability throughout the duration of shipment and do not loosen; eliminates damage to poles and railroad cars which inevitably has accompanied railroad shipment of heavy metal poles in the past; eliminates costly repairs heretofore required to correct for damages that occurred during shipment of poles; provides a procedure which is less costly than those inadequate procedures heretofore used; eliminates difficulties heretofore encountered; achieves the stated objects; accomplishes the many new functions and results described; and solves problems that have existed in the art.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding; but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such terms are used for descriptive purposes and are intended to be broadly construed.

Moreover, the description and illustration of the invention is by way of example and the scope of the invention is not limited to the packaging of the exact pole structures shown because the sizes, shapes, configuration, etc. of the products packaged may be varied without departing from the fundamental principles of the invention.

Having now described the features, discoveries and principles of the invention, the construction of a packaged pile, the procedure to be carried out, and the advantageous, new and useful results obtained; the new and useful discoveries, principles, methods, steps, procedures, combinations, arrangements and packaged structures and mechanical equivalents obvious to those skilled in the art are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a stable packaged pile structure of poles of a type including tapered tubular metal poles and in which the packaged pile structure is capable of being transported without damage to the packaged poles and to the transportation means for the poles; a series of rows of elongated poles in a pile for shipment, strip means formed of shock absorbent rubber extending crosswise of the pile at spaced intervals along the length of the pile at least between the rows of a pair of adjacent rows of poles, the rubber strip means having top and bottom surfaces in frictional gripping contact with surface portions of poles in said adjacent rows, a series of strapping bands engridling the pile crosswise of the pile at spaced intervals under tension, and the tensioned bands acting to hold the rubber strip means under compression between and to maintain the rubber strip means surfaces in frictional gripping engagement with adjacent poles in said adjacent rows in the pile; and the compressed rubber strip means in frictional gripping engagement with adjacent poles, permitting poles in the pile to move slightly relative to one another in response to shock loading, absorbing the effects of such shock loading, and returning the poles in the pile to initial location after removal of shock loading forces.

2. The packaged pole pile structure defined in claim 1 in which there are a plurality of pairs of adjacent rows of poles in the pile, and in which rubber strip means extend between the rows of each pair of rows of poles.

3. The packaged pole pile structure defined in claim 1 in which the bottom row of poles in the pile are sup ported on a plurality of spaced wooden blocks extending crosswise of the pile, and in which rubber strip means extend between the wooden blocks and the poles in the bottom row of poles in the pile.

4. The method of forming a stable packaged pile of poles of a type including tapered tubular metal poles for transportation without damage to the packaged poles and to the transportation means jfor the poles, the steps of placing a series of blocks in spaced relation extending crosswise of the floor of a transporting vehicle, laying a row of poles lengthwise of the vehicle on said series of blocks, laying successive rows of poles on the first row of poles, interposing a series of strips of shock absorbent rubber at spaced intervals extending crosswise of the poles between adjacent rows of poles in the pile; binding the rows of poles laterally at spaced intervals under 20 tension to compress the rubber strips between poles in adjacent rows, to maintain frictional engagement between the rubber strips and the surfaces of poles in contact therewith, and to form and maintain a stable packaged pile; and the maintenance of frictional engagement between the rubber strip means compressed between poles in the bound packaged pile permitting poles in the pile to move slightly relative to one another in response to shock loading while the strip means absorbs the effects of such shock loading and then returns the poles in the pile to initial location after removal of shock loading forces.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,793,059 2/1931 Chambers 214-105 X 1,993,216 3/1935 Marshall 214-105 X 2,112,486 3/1938 Francis 214-105 X 2,256,024 9/1941 Hill 214-105 2,662,649 12/1953 Gill 214-105 2,850,182 9/1958 Tetyak 214-105 GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

MORRIS TEMIN, Examiner. 

1. IN A STABLE PACKAGED PILE STRUCTURE OF POLES OF A TYPE INCLUDING TAPERED TUBULAR METAL POLES AND IN WHICH THE PACKAGED PILE STRUCTURE IS CAPABLE OF BEING TRANSPORTED WITHOUT DAMAGE TO THE PACKAGED POLES AND TO THE TRANSPORTATION MEANS FOR THE POLES; A SERIES OF ROWS OF ELONGATED POLES IN A PILE FOR SHIPMENT, STRIP MEANS FORMED OF SHOCK ABSORBENT RUBBER EXTENDING CROSSWISE OF THE PILE AT SPACED INTERVALS ALONG THE LENGTH OF THE PILE AT LEAST BETWEEN THE ROWS OF A PAIR OF ADJACENT ROWS OF POLES, THE RUBBER STRIP MEANS HAVING TOP AND BOTTOM SURFACES IN FRICTIONAL GRIPPING CONTACT WITH SURFACE PORTIONS OF POLES IN SAID ADJACENT ROWS, A SERIES OF STRAPPING BANDS ENGRIDLING THE PILE CROSSWISE OF THE PILE AT SPACED INTERVALS UNDER TENSION, AND THE TENSIONED BANDS ACTING TO HOLD THE RUBBER STRIP MEANS UNDER COMPRESSION BETWEEN AND TO MAINTAIN THE RUBBER STRIP MEANS SURFACES IN FRICTIONAL GRIPPING ENGAGEMENT WITH ADJACENT POLES IN SAID ADJACENT ROWS IN THE PILE; AND THE COMPRESSED RUBBER STRIP MEANS IN FRICTIONAL GRIPPING ENGAGEMENT WITH ADJACENT POLES, PERMITTING POLES IN THE PILE TO MOVE SLIGHTLY RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER IN RESPONSE TO SHOCK LOADING, ABSORBING THE EFFECTS OF SUCH SHOCK LOADING, AND RETURNING THE POLES IN THE PLATE TO INITIAL LOCATION AFTER REMOVAL OF SHOCK LOADING FORCES. 